Mil gracias SAM Travel!
I just did the 4 Day Classic Inca Trail To Machu Picchu from 8/10-8/13 with guides Raymer and Maribel! It was the most incredible experience I’ve ever had. 10 out of 10 would recommend SAM Travel for your visit to Peru. Ray met our group right at the Cusco airport in a large van and spent two days with us before the Inca Trail in and around Cusco, helping us acclimatize and guiding us around Incan sites like Sacsayhuamán and Ollantaytambo. On Tuesday evening he gave us a briefing on what to expect on each day of the trek, so we felt super prepared. Wednesday morning we got organized, entrusted our <7kg duffels to the amazing porters, led by head porter Rosalio, and began hiking.
We were stunned when we reached lunch on our first day to realize just how beautiful and gourmet meals could be while hiking – our chef Timoteo and sous chef Danilo truly outdid themselves. We sat down to every meal with real silverware, a tablecloth, and new origami napkin (shout out to at least one of the young porters I saw folding napkins into pinwheels). A few of us are vegetarian and another had dietary restrictions that seemed to be no problem for Timo. Some of my favorite dishes included the jackfruit ceviche, all the vegetable soups, yucca fritters with elderberry sauce, Peruvian potatoes, corn with cheese, and strawberry pancakes for breakfast! We also loved the popcorn and hot cocoa happy hours, and obviously were especially impressed by the cake (yes, a frosted layer cake) for dessert on the third night. Hot tip though – don’t over-stuff yourselves while at elevation (though it’s easy to do bc the food was SO amazing)!
I’m an archaeologist and work in both a museum and a university, so I had a lot of questions for Ray about Incan culture, heritage, and the sites along the trail, and he was SO kind, enthusiastic, and generous with sharing information. I really appreciated that he kept us informed, and he was always ready with a fun fact or funny story. Ray also is an amazing (and patient) photographer – it was such a gift to have him there to help document our memories (he knows all the best spots and poses). You can tell Ray and Maribel are absolute ninjas at hiking the Inca Trail – but they set such a comfortable, safe pace for our group. They were so patient and attentive and provided us with all the mental and emotional support we could have needed (plus various physical amenities). Raymer & Maribel really became part of our team and it was difficult to say goodbye at the end of our trip. Mil gracias SAM Travel!
